


When We Sleep, Does The World Remain The Same?

by Ineffable_Hannigram



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Fall (Hannibal), Protective Will Graham, Sleep Deprivation, Vulnerable Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23085226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineffable_Hannigram/pseuds/Ineffable_Hannigram
Summary: This is inspired by Shatouto's beautiful work: https://twitter.com/shatouto/status/1235700309516681216?s=20
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 9
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

Hannibal would always be up before Will, despite often retiring to bed after him. When he felt Hannibal lift up the covers and move downstairs, Will would usually just turn over in bed and sleep for at least another hour before he goes downstairs. Hannibal would be in the kitchen cooking some elaborate breakfast and the day would continue normally from there. Nothing seemed abnormal and so Will didn’t feel the need to raise any questions. As the days progressed, Will would notice more and more looking just not right about Hannibal. His eyes seemed constantly far away, dark circles formed and got darker by the days, his movements seemed slower and less controlled, yet Will doesn’t say anything, thinking Hannibal was just working through something.

That is until a week later. While Will was sat in their living room, a dog in his lap and the weekly newspaper in his hands, he hears a crash. The dog rushes out of his lap in fear of the loud sound and Will’s head snaps up in the direction of the noise. What he sees makes his heart stop; Hannibal is mid crouch staring at what was once his favourite mug, Will had gotten him it soon after he was well enough after the fall, his eyes dark and sunken, there’s a sullen and empty look masking his face.

“Hannibal.” Will calls out but the other doesn’t seem to hear him. Hannibal reaches out a shaking hand to begin the task of picking up the shattered ceramic but Will grabs his wrist and intervenes. He pulls Hannibal up to his feet and they stare at each other until Hannibal turns his eyes away, shameful tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Will sighs, gently pulling Hannibal into a hug resting his head on Hannibal’s shoulder. Hannibal is more leaning against Will than standing on his own, exhaustion is clear in every one of his movements. Will brings up a hand to cup the back of Hannibal’s head, his thumb moving in slow soothing circles.

“I don’t know what you’re doing Hannibal, but I know you’re hurting yourself.” Will pauses, “You’re not even standing up straight anymore.” They’re quiet for a while, then Hannibal begins to raise his arms to rest them on Will back.

“I don’t know what you’re on about, Will. What could I possibly be doing?” Although he tries to say it with amusement, he sounds drained. His normally colourful vocabulary, now a dull drone.

Will pauses, choosing his next words carefully.

“Being human. Shedding your person suit.” Hannibal’s arms suddenly tighten around him, verging on suffocating.

Hannibal’s heart feels like it clenches and then a dam breaks, warm tears begin to soak into the shirt he’s hiding his face in.

“Why won’t you sleep, Hannibal?” Will sounds pained.

“I would much rather you kill me than I wake up in the night to find the bed cold and my life empty.”

“After all this time, I have not left. It hasn’t even crossed my mind. Why don’t you understand that I’m not going anywhere? Use that brilliant mind I know you have. I’m still here, stop acting like I’m already gone.” Will is desperate to get his point across. Desperate to make Hannibal understands that he’s not going anywhere.

“What happens if in another week, month or year that you decide that you’ve made a mistake. Maybe you will want to return to your apple pie life with your wife and child. And I will no longer be enough for you. Will you leave in the night, wait for me to be asleep and then leave? Perhaps you’d kill me first, that would be less painful so please consider it when you do.” Hannibal’s rambling, filling the silence with the paranoia of a sleep deprived man. 

_‘When’, not ‘if’. Hannibal really believes that Will is going to leave him._

Having had enough, Will pulls back and takes Hannibal’s face in his hands, Hannibal has fallen silent now. Perhaps waiting for Will to admit that he was right and that he had been planning to leave. Yet no words come, only the slow inching forwards of Will’s face towards his. Their lips meet in a slow, gentle kiss and Hannibal relaxes further into Will’s body.

“Sleep Hannibal. I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere and if I need to handcuff myself to the bed and watch over you to ensure that you believe me? I will, within a heartbeat.” Will is being completely serious, he couldn’t lie to Hannibal right now, even if he wanted to.

Will pulls back, and takes Hannibal’s hand and begins leading him to the bedroom. Hannibal stumbles behind him, an awestruck and disbelieving look on his face.

Hannibal slept for 6 hours straight and Will kept to his word. Staying awake to watch over Hannibal, while their hands stayed interlocked. Although he felt tired by the end of it, he would do it again, no hesitation.


	2. When I Wake, Will You Remain Here With Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A carry up was requested, so i thought 'why not'? Make sure you check out what the first chapter was inspired by.

It was around seven in the morning, Will looks down at Hannibal’s sleeping face where it’s pressed against his thigh. Hannibal looks the most peaceful than he has since the fall, Will smiles stroking a stray strand out if the others face. His stomach rumbles and Will decides that it’s time for some breakfast, neither of them ate last night, too distracted by the ‘incident’. Will decides that Hannibal should be exhausted enough to sleep through the time it would take Will to prepare their breakfast, and gets out of bed, his stiff joints cracking painfully. He groans as he checks that Hannibal is still soundly asleep, then makes his way down the stairs to their extravagant kitchen. The breakfast won’t be as outgoing as Hannibal’s would most definitely be, but it really doesn’t need to be. If he can survive this long on toast and eggs, if he even eats breakfast that is, so can Hannibal. He begins a start on the food and preps the coffee machine, thinking Hannibal deserves at least that after such a stressful night. He grins to himself, hoping this would make Hannibal smile after so long of him not.

* * *

Hannibal stretches like cat, popping his back. He finally feels well-rested and happy. As if he was weightless and floating on a cloud. After so long of living in constant fear of losing Will, it feels splendid to feel no longer so burdened by such thoughts. He smiles, feeling light headed with joy as he reaches out to grab Will. Only for that smile to drop, he opens his eyes slowly, not wanting to believe that Will had disappeared. After everything, Will was gone, his side of the bed cold. He had lied, and Hannibal was stupid enough to believe him. His body goes cold and he pulls his arms towards his body in an attempt to lock some warmth in. Or that what he told himself, he was really just trying to hold himself together. It didn’t work. He curls up on his side, knees to his chest in a mockery of the foetal position. Hannibal begins trembling and before long, fat tears are rolling down his cheeks, soaking into the bedspread. He lets out a painful sob, the noise racking through his ribcage, burning up his throat and past his lips. He gasps, his body shaking like a leaf, he wraps his arms tighter around himself in an attempt to calm down, his hands gripping painfully into either bicep leaving deep nail marks. He represses the cough fighting up his throat, spluttering instead. His head hurts with the stress and strain of keeping quiet, the added blood flow to his face from his crying causes his nose to begin dribbling blood down his face, adding to the mess of tears and snot on the bed sheet. He ignores it, feeling to numb to do much of anything. He closes his eyes, hoping for sleep to just take him, but this time for good.

* * *

Will hears movement upstairs just as the coffee finishes boiling. He laughs, thinking Hannibal must have woke to the smell of the food. Typical. He pours the coffee into two cups, adding sugar to Hannibal’s, placing them on a tray and begins his assent up the stairs to the bedroom. He gently toes open the door, calling out

“Hanniba-” He trails off, confusion clear in his voice. The other his led on his side facing the wall, shaking though it is obvious that he’s trying to stop it.

Hannibal shoots up at the sound of Will’s voice.

“Will? I. I thought you left me.” He looks down ashamed. It’s dark enough that Will could only see his silhouette. He turns around to hit the light switch. The room floods with light and Will can now see Hannibal properly. His eyes are red rimmed and blood shot, but the more prominent thing Will sees is the steady stream of blood running down Hannibal’s face. Will rushes over to place the tray of their breakfast on one of the bedside tables, before turning back to Hannibal and taking his hands, leading him into their en suite bathroom. Will flicks the light on in there too, and sits Hannibal atop of the toilet lid. He grabs a towel and begins to dab the blood away from Hannibal’s face.

“Why didn’t you just come downstairs and check for me?”

When Hannibal doesn’t answer, Will smiles.

“That didn’t even cross your mind, did it? How can you be so incredibly smart and so dumb at the same time?” Will jokes, looking up form his task and meeting Hannibal’s eyes. Will stops smiling when he notices that Hannibal didn’t even smile.

“Hey,” He strokes a hand down the side of Hannibal’s face, the other leaning into the touch, “I really am sorry that I didn’t wake you. You were so tired last night and looked peaceful so I didn’t want wake you. I was stupid enough to think that I would be done before you woke up.”

Hannibal smiled, if only a little. Shaking his head slightly.

“You’re not stupid, Will. That was very thoughtful of you to make breakfast. If anything, I was the stupid one for jumping to conclusions instead of using my head.” Hannibal playfully adds, seeming to be in a better mood.

Will doesn’t answer, feeling that one isn’t necessary. He inspects Hannibal’s face and sees that his nose has stopped bleeding. He smiles and pulls Hannibal into a hug. They hold each other tightly, before Will stands, tugging Hannibal back into the bedroom. 

“C’mon, let’s eat before it gets too cold.”

“Though I’d usually agree, we need to change the sheets, it seems as if I’ve dirtied them with blood and tears.”

“That seems to be our story, doesn’t it?” Will jokes and Hannibal laughs. Will stares at him because after such a rough last couple hours, it is honestly beautiful. Unable to help himself, he leans in and places a kiss on Hannibal’s cheek.

They change the sheets and settle against the headboard to eat their, now cold, breakfast. Neither could be happier.


End file.
